University of Kuopio’s A.I. Virtanen Institute Uses Gamma Medica-Ideas’ FLEX Multi-Modality System to Image Baculovirus Biodistribution in Pre-Clinical Subjects

Los Angeles, CA, June 17, 2007 --(PR.com)-- A team of researchers at University of Kuopio’s A.I Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences in Finland is conducting studies in non-invasive imaging with Gamma Medica-Ideas’ MicroSPECT/CT system to provide essential information on biodistribution of gene therapy vectors in rats.

The A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences (AIVI) at Kuopio University is a research institute whose profile is on molecular medicine of major diseases of high importance for health care, including cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolism-related diseases. AIVI harbours the Center of Excellence for Research in Cardiovascular Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes and is included in the Nordic Center of Excellence in Neurodegeneration.

The AIVI research team published its most recent findings in the June 2007 issue (Vol. 14, Issue 12) of the prestigious scientific journal Gene Therapy. The team conducted in vivo SPECT/CT imaging in rats using Gamma Medica-Ideas’ (GM-I) small animal SPECT/CT system, and both CT and SPECT images were reconstructed and interpolated into final matrices using GM-I’s software.

This study uses microSPECT/CT to visualize biodistribution of a 99mTc-polylys-ser-DTPA-biotin labelled avidin-displaying baculovirus, Baavi, after intrafemoral, intraperitoneal, intramuscular and intracerebroventricular administration. The imaging results suggest that the virus can spread via the lymphatic network after different administration routes. Extensive expression in the kidneys and spleen was seen after intraperitoneal administration; furthermore, transduction of kidneys was seen with intramuscular and intrafemoral administrations. The team’s conclusion is that baculovirus may be beneficial for the treatment of kidney diseases after intraperitoneal administration route.

About Gamma Medica-Ideas, Inc.

Gamma Medica-Ideas (GM-I) designs, builds and services imaging systems based on novel technologies to improve patient health through early diagnosis of disease, improved patient treatment and by enabling new drug discovery. GM-I is dedicated to leading medical imaging into a new digital era with its unique sensor readout systems. The company’s core digital imaging technologies also hold great promise for a new class of solutions for the safety and security markets. In the pre-clinical space, GM-I’s FLEX TriumphTM imaging platform is marketed for medical research and drug development. The Triumph system combines PET (X-PETTM or its new fully digital LabPETTM), SPECT (X-SPECT®) and CT (X-OTM) modalities in the world’s first tri-modality system. In the clinical space, GM-I offers LumaGEM®, its dual-headed Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) based system for early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. The digital gamma imaging technology in LumaGEM offers significant advances in resolution and contrast which have allowed for identification of millimeter sized breast cancers missed by mammography, especially in women with dense breast tissue.

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